Film holder



June 21, 1,938.

FILM HOLDER Filed Feb. 8, 1937 Patented Julie 21, 193e UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a photographic film holder and more particularly pertains to a device for holding X-ray films of the type employed in making X-ray photographs of the oral cavity, which films by reason of their small size are diflicult to handle while developing, washing and drying, and also during their inspection and display where the films are directly handled. It is accordingly desirable to employ a device by means of which one or more of the lms may be held in such fashion as to facilitate their treatment and inspection.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device which is so formed that it will receive and carry one or more X-ray lms 0f the character above referred to and in which the films are so held and positioned as to obviate or at least minimize possibility of defacement or marring of the delicate surfaces of the films.

Another object is to provide a filmholder of the above character in which the films will be held in a position to facilitate their treatment and inspection with the film retained in place against accidental disengagement from the holder and without the aid of clamps.

Another object is to provide a film holding means which is so formed that a lm may be readily applied thereto and easily removed therefrom without risk of mutilating the lm.

A further object is to provide a device of the above character which is simple in construction and involving few parts which may be readily assembled and which are durable and are not liable to get out of order.

With the foregoing objects in view together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear the invention is carried into effect as illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of the film holder as seen in front eleva-tion with the parts disposed in a loading or unloading position:

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. -3 is a sectional perspective view as seen o n the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 in the direction indicated by the arrows:

Fig. 4 is a detail in horizontal section taken on vthe line 4 4 of Fig. 2 showing the manner of positioning a film in the holder:

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of the holder showing the parts in their loaded position and depicting the manner in which a lm is held in place in the holder during operation of the latter.

Referring to the drawing more specifically A indicates generally a rectangular frame embody'- ing side members 6 and 1 and end members 8 and 9, which members are formed of a ribbon of' sheet metal arranged with the at surfaces thereof forming the interior and exterior faces of the frame.

The frame is fitted with a handle B formed of a length of wire bent to provide a pair of parallel members I0 and II which are connected to the end member 8 of the frame A at the point of i'ntersection of the latter with the side members 6 and 1; the handle members III and II leading from one edge of the member 8 and having their upper ends bent atright angles to provide members I2 and I3 extended in a direction away from the frame and connecting with a loop portion Il which with 'the members I2 and I3 form a hook adapted to be engaged with a horizontal support whereby the film holder may be disposed in a suspended position.

Mounted on the frame A is a pair of film receiving racks C each of which embodies a series of three spaced parallel plates I5, I6, and I1 connected together at their ends and with the outer plates I5 and I1 spaced from each other a distance less than the length of an X-ray film to be carried on the rack. As a means for affording a support fora plurality of films on each of the racks the plates I6 and I1 are formed with a series of film receiving apertures I8 preferably of quadrilateral or diamond shaped outline having opposed end margins a and b extending parallel with the edges of the plates and having parallel side margins c and d extending diagonally of the plates. The apertures I8 in the plate I8 are disposed in register with the apertures I8 in the plate I1. The apertures are formed of a length between the remotest diagonally opposed corners thereof slightly greater than the width of an X- ray film D so that the latter may be inserted endwise through the openings I8 as particularly shown in Fig. 4 with its opposite edges engaged in the opposed corners of the apertures and with one end of the Ifilm abutting against the impervforated plate I5 which acts as an abutment and with the' other end of the film protruding from the outer face of the plate I1.

Each of the racks is pivotally connected at its ends to the frame end members 8 and 9 by pivot pins 20 and 2| arranged in axial alignment whereby the rack may be swung to present the apertured plate I1 at the front of the frame, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or to position the rack with the apertured plate I1 presented toward a side member of the frame as illustrated in Fig. 5 in which latter position the protruding end of the lilm D will extend close to the inner face of the frame side member so that the latter will then co-act with the plate l5 in confining the film against longitudinal movement on the rack.

As a means for temporarily locking the racks C against turning when disposed in the film coniining position shown in Fig. 5, a slide E is mounted on the handle B which slide embodies a plate 22 having end sleeves 23 and 24 slidably engaging the side members IIJ and il of the handle, and on which plate is carried a bracket 25 projecting over the frame member 8 and having a down-turned end iiange 26 extending forward of the member l. The slide thus formed is adapted to be positioned with the lower portion of the plate 22 overlying the rear edge of the frame end member B and with the flange 26 overlying the front edge of the member 8, and the adjacent end portions of the racks C, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the plate 22 and flange 26 serve as stops to prevent swinging of the racks on their pivotal mountings. The slide E is shifted on the handle B to position the plat-e 22 and flange 26 clear of the frame end member 8 as shown in Fig. 1 to permit turning of the racks C into their film loading positions.

In the operation of the invention a desired number of the films D are mounted in the apertures I8 of the racks C; the films being positioned in the apertures when the racks are in their film loading position shown in Fig. l, whereupon the racks C are turned to present the protruding ends of the fllm D to the side members of the frame as illustrated in Fig. 5. The slide E is then disposed in its rack loading position. The films will then be securely held against displacement and engaged only atl their margins and with the delicate surfaces thereof out of contact with any portions of the rack as would be likely to mar the films.

The films while retained in the rack may be subjected to developing, washing and fixing liquids and thereafter hung up to dry by suspending the holder from the handle B By arranging the films in the fashion described they may be readily inspected by the operator during the developing process, and thereafter may be held in the holder for subsequent handling asin transportation and inspection.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of the invention I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction and arrangement shown but may employ such changes and modifications as occasion may require coming within the meaning and scope of the appended claims; foriexample while I have shown the frame A as equipped with a. pair of racks C it is manifest that the number of racks may be increased or diminished according to the desired capacity of the holder.

I claim:

1. In a film holder of the character described, a iilm carrier comprising a pair of spaced parallel apertured plates and an abutment plate spaced from and paralleling one of said apertured plates; the apertures in one of said plates being arranged in register with the apertures in the other of said plates, said apertures being of substantially diamond shape and of a dimension between the re motest opposed corners thereof approximating the width of a film to be carried within said aper tures.

2. In a film holder a frame having side and end members, a film carrier embodying a plurality of parallel plates including an apertured plate and an abutment plate, pivotal connections between the ends of said carrier and the end members of said frame on which said carrier is turnable to present the apertured plate thereof either toward or away from a side member of said frame.

3. In a film holder, a frame having side and end members, a film carrier embodying a plurality of parallel plates including an apertured plate and an abutment plate, pivotal connections between the ends of said carrier and the end members of said frame on which said carrier is turnable to present the apertured plate thereof either toward or away from a side member of said frame, and means for temporarily holding said carrier against turning movement when positioned with the apertured plates presented toward the frame side members.

4. In a film holder, a frame having side and end members, a film carrier embodying a pair of spaced parallel apertured plates and an abutment plate extending parallel to one of said apertured plates, said plates being connected together at their ends, pivots connecting said carrier to the ends of said frame 0n which the carrier may be turned to present the outermost apertured plate either toward the frame side members or away therefrom, a slide, means on said frame carrying said slide on which the slide is moveable to overlie the carrier when the latter is positioned to present the outer apertured plate to a frame side member to hold the carrier against turning on its pivots.

5. In a holder for X-ray films, a frame having side and end members formed of a strip of sheet metal arranged with the faces of the strip presented to form the interior and exterior margins of said frame, a film carrier in said frame including a pair of spaced parallel plates formed with registering film receiving openings in the form of parallelograms, and an abutment plate spaced from and paralleling one of said plates opposite the apertures therein, said carrier having end portions connecting said plates, pivots connecting the ends of said carrier to the end members of said frame, said carrier being turnable onsaid pivots to present the outermost apertured plate outwardly relative to said frame to permit insertion of films in said apertures and their removal therefrom, and also to present said outermost apertured plate toward a side member of said frame to confine films in said apertures between said side members, and means for locking said carrier against turning on said pivots when in the film confining position.

DAVID M. GHRIST. 

